T H Daily
n
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 109 No. 48
I Thursday, March 18, 1982
Ex-spy reveals CIA
intelligence cover-ups
to U.S. general public
By Chris Welsch
Ex-CIA spy, physicist, adventurer and author, Peter
James, spoke Wednesday at the Student Union on "The
Embryo of the American Police State".
James, who authored The Air Force Mafia and
Vie Soviet Conquest from Space, said he used to make
his intelligence reports to the CIA, but now he presents
the reports to audiences across the United States.
James said he felt many U.S. intelligence agencies are
infringing on individuals' rights through coersion and cor
ruption. "The FBI and the CIA have been involved in numer
ous burglaries and buggings," James said. "The CIA was
charged with opening U.S. mail going to Moscow, without
the Post Master General knowing about it."
Describing his activities with the CIA, James said, "I
became involved with the CIA after I had been working
for Pratt -Whitney as a aero-physicist. I attended sever
al international conferences and I had met with many
top Russian scientists.
"I attended science conferences, getting to know the
Russian scientists and photographing them when I could,"
James said.
James went on to describe some covert activities and
espionage that occur in the U.S. and are detailed in his
book The A ir Force Mafia.
"I began to realize there were some problems with
American intelligence agencies when I discovered some of
my fellow agents were turning in false intelligence re
ports," he said.
"I began to poke around to find out who was behind
this corruption and I found only a few bad individuals,"
James said. "The Air Force Foreign Technology Division
(AFFTD) was especially involved in the industrial espion-
Lincoln, Nebraska
Copyright 1982 Daily Nebraskan
Half-cent sales tax
increase would raise
$5 million for Lincoln
Lincoln and the other 28 first-class Nebraska cities
may be given the chance to decide whether to raise
their city sales tax by a half cent per dollar.
With a 25-18 vote Wednesday, the Nebraska Legi
slature advanced an amended version of a bill sponsored
by Lincoln Sen. Dave Landis. The original bill would
have given only Lincoln the power to raise its sales tax
in an election.
By a 25-19 vote Tuesday, the Legislature passed an
amendment to include Nebraska's 29 first-class cities,
those with populations between 5,000 and 100,000.
Landis called the amendment "reasonable."
The amendment, proposed by Sen. Howard
Peterson of Grand Island, preceded an attempt by Sen.
Tom Vickers of Farnum to include second-class cities and
villages. Second-class cities have populations between 600
and 5,000, and villages have 100 to 600 people Vickers'
amendment is pending.
In addition, an amendment exempting certain pro
perties and commodities from the tax increase was given
unanimous consent Monday. Exempted were aircraft and
motor vehicle fuels, some personal properties, food con
sumed in schools, churches and state institutions, and cer
tain fuels, among other items.
Landis said the Lincoln tax increase would replace
decreased federal funds for infrastructure needs, inclu
ding roads, storm sewers and mass transit.
The measure is projected to raise $5 million a year for
Lincoln, which now has a 1 cent per dollar sales tax.
Last year, the Legislature gave Omaha permanent
authority to keep its VA cent sales tax, which was in
creased a half cent by voters from the 1 cent per dollar
tax.
Landis said the state should consider his bill as "part of
a fabric that was born a year ago" with the passage
of the Omaha sales tax increase.
Photo by Oave Bentz
Ex-CIA agent, Peter James
age between Pratt-Whitney and General Electric Corpora
tion." "The AFFTD was threatening Pratt-Whitney because a
certain engineer was protesting some of the intelligence
gathering activities," he said. "They (AFFTD) were sup
plying General Electric with some of Pratt-Whitney's com
pany plans - Uncle Sam lending a hand in industrial es
pionage." James ended his presentation by saying U.S. democra
tic freedoms are threatened by public apathy and govern
ment secrecy.
"The destiny of our country is in our hands. If we stay
apathetic, we may lose our freedom," he said.
I Jf . ' t '
Wedekind addresses ASUN goals
By Betsy Miller
Dan Wedekind said he'll bring experience and open
mindedness to the position of ASUN Senate president.
Wedekind, a 21 -year-old senior from Newman
Grove, was installed as the senate's top executive and
student regent at last Wednesday's senate meeting.
He listed experience in the senate and his ability to
objectively view different sides of an issue when
making decisions as his best job qualifications.
Since last spring, Wedekind has been first vice
president of the senate.
The new senate needs the ability to think through
complex issues and not become bogged down in
smaller arguments, he said.
As a returning ASUN executive, Wedekind said he
and returning senators will be responsible for informing
new senators about what types of action may or may
not be effective.
Last year, the senate was fragmented when senators
argued some issues and realized that they did not share
the same opinions, he said.
Real Party members, who were elected to 27 of 35
senate seats in the March 3 election, must realize that
even though they are in the same party, they will not
agree on every issue, Wedekind said.
Wedekind, a member of the majority SURE Party
last year, said some members of that party believed all
party members would agree on every issue, Wedekind
said.
However, he said the Real Party majority in the
senate can't help be but an advantage for the body.
This year will be crucial to the university because
issues like reductions in financial aids and minimum ad
missions requirements may be resolved, he said.
The new senate must begin work immediately on
some issues, such as the financial aid cuts, he said.
"The situation pretty much demands that they
(senate) not have much slack time. This is a crucial
time right now with the state legislature looking at
the university's budget," he said.
The possibility of distributing a newsletter inform
ing students of senate legislation and news, called for
in the Real Party platform, will be investigated before
the end of the school year, he said.
Continued on Page 6
Students threatened, Mockler says
By Betsy Miller
The quality and accessibility of education at UNL
will be severely threatened in the near future,
according to the past ASUN Senate president.
Rick Mockler said in a recent interview after his
term ended that UNL students face more off-campus
issues than they have in the past, including reductions
in financial aid and U.S. foreign policy.
The difference between the student senate during
Mockler's presidency and past senates was that this one
addressed those off -campus issues, he said.
In the past, senates were involved with topics such
as alcohol policies, residence hall visitation policies
and the parking situation, he said.
"I think the tone and philosophy we established was
that there are a number of issues the students need to
address outside the campus environment," Mockler
said.
During his tenure, Mockler said, the senate tried to
focus more on student concerns and less on its own
internal matters.
The senate is not a student government, Mockler
said, and he stressed that the body sometimes was
guilty of getting bogged down in intergovernmental
conflicts.
"ASUN can't afford to be caught up in the illusion
that somehow it is governing the student body," he
said.
He said the fact that the senate is divided into
executive, legislative and judicial branches does not
make it an official government; he said the divisions
are unnecessary.
When the senate begins to address relevant political
questions, as it may in the coming year, students will
begin to follow it with more interest, Mockler pre
dicted. This interest also could help increase voter turnout,
he said.
This year only 9 percent of the students voted in
the March 3 senate election, but Mockler said this small
turnout shouldn't make the senate weaker.
Mockler said national studies have shown that when
people are generally satisfied with the way things are
being run, then they don't participate as much as if
they want a change.
Continued on Page 6
